Chapter 7 The Rest of the Year
Dear Sarah,
This has been a busy month, which is why I haven't written sooner.
I think I am going to have nightmares for awhile. We solved a case in a haunted mansion. There really are ghosts! We saw them. One of Tiffany's friends from college, Erica, recently got married. Erica was an heiress. Her husband was also wealthy. After the wedding, he took her to his beautiful mansion, which just happened to be haunted. Erica felt a strange presence in the house and got the feeling that someone was trying to kill her. Tiffany thought it might be the ghost of Erica's husband's previous wife, who had died in a fall down the stairs. Madeline, the previous wife, helped save Erica from the real killer, who just happened to be her husband. He married young heiresses and then killed them off. Nice guy.
Kelly helped rescue a boy from an abusive father. The dad was a cop, and he had anger management issues. Kelly took him to court, and got custody of his son until he could get some help.
I learned to never disobey a direct order from Charlie. I did, and almost got killed. I lured a killer/rapist back to LA. Charlie wanted me to pull out, but I thought I could handle it on my own. I will listen better next time.
I thought Charlie wasn't paying me enough, so I went into the pornography business. Just kidding. We were looking for a girl who ran away from home and made porno movies thinkng she was breaking into show business. Her fiance got killed while looking for her.
We went undercover in the real estate business to find people who were breaking into mansions and robbing the owners of priceless items. Barry Kingsbrook, the owner of the real estate agency, is a male sexist pig. He'd only hire beautiful women with great legs. Charlie set me up with a job with him. He kept making innuendos, and at one point threatened my job with him if I didn't join him in the hot tub. Then he tried to kill me. There were some nice houses. You would've loved them. My favorite was the one with the exercise room and hot tub, even though the thug tried to kill me in that tub. Think we should install one in the beach house? As a reward, Charlie gave us lunch catered by Tyrone's. Delicious!
We entered a ballroom dance competetion. Bosley can really cut a rug! He is also a big ham. While we were there, we investigated a murder and found a teenage runaway girl. She decided to go home.
We investigated a theft in an electronics company. We had to "work" with another private investigator named Harrigan. He was an alcoholic and couldn't remember what he was doing or why most of the time. I kept him busy and out of the booze while Kelly and Tiff investigated. He reminded me a lot of Dad. I really miss Dad. Anyway, Harrigan had a rough past and was down on his luck. Before he started drinking, he had done some amazing things. He met Pres. Eisenhower. He has an autographed picture of himself with Ike. He was in WWII and learned some manuevers that saved our lives. He got a special certificate from General Omar Bradley. He is a hell of a guy, just like Dad. He decided to quit drinking and turn his life around.
Other than all of that, it's been a really quiet month!
Love,
Kris
Dear Kris,
You have been busy. I promise to never disobey Charlie. If I ever run across any ghosts, I will let them have what they want and get out of there. Where would we put a hot tub in the beach house? And people might get sand in it. No, wait until we buy a mansion, and then put a hot tub in. I would've like to have seen Bosley dancing. Did you take pictures? And Mr. Harrigan does sound like Dad. I'd like to meet him sometime.
It was hard to get back into school mode after Christmas break. Things have settled down now, and I'm back to work. This semester I am finishing up my general ed requirements, and still going to the police academy in the afternoons. We're going to learn how to shoot this week. I already know how, but it will be nice to have the refresher course. It will be another busy semester.
Love,
Sarah
Dear Jill,
You are getting to be quite famous! Whenever people hear my last name, they ask me if I'm related to you. I smile modestly and say "Yeah." I should have autographed pictures of you to sell. Just kidding. Do you have any? (smile)
Dear Sarah,
I was on my way to see a little girl with leukemia, when I got kidnapped by a family of criminals. I accidentally witnessed a robbery in a little convenience store, and they took me with them when they made their getaway. One of the sons was retarded. I made friends with him. When his brother was killed and his dad was arrested, I made arrangements to get him into a care facility. He is actually a nice guy. He went with his brother and dad because he didn't have a choice. He likes animals and chocolate cake. I made one for him. Yeah, I know, I haven't baked anything in years, but this was an exception. His face lit up when I brought him the cake. He is really happy in his care center. I'm glad I was able to help him.
And no, I don't have any autographed pictures. Sorry. d
Love,
Jill
Dear Sarah,
Here is what we've been up to lately:
I don't know how to tell you this, but......Bosley and I got married! Just kidding. We went undercover in a plastic surgery clinic. Bosley and I posed as husband and wife. I had to be really mean to him, because I was posing as his rich, spoiled wife who wanted her husband to look better. I didn't like that part, and I don't think Bosley did either.
We exposed a plastic surgeon who gave makeovers to felons escaping the law. The first one was a guy who was being investigated by the senate for white collar crimes. He promised them something big in exchange for a lighter sentence. He had his appearance changed and went to Central America. When he came back, he had money transferred into various bank accounts in California to one Brad Collins. He ended up dead. Collins, the recipient of the money, wanted a makeover as well, as he had embezzled a large amount of money out of a union pension fund. The Dr. at the clinic didn't want to give Collins the makeover, but his girlfriend who happened to be one of his former patients put him up to it. She was a terrorist turned hit person and was very persuasive. She had no qualms about killing those who stood in her way, and the Dr and Tiffany almost became her next targets. Tiffany let oxygen and ether into the air and told the hitperson that if she fired her gun, the place would blow up. Bosley, Kelly, and I crashed the door with a stretcher from the ambulance Kelly and I had rented, and rescued the Dr. He gets a lighter sentence for testifying against his girlfriend.
We set up a three prong attack on a world class swindler. He had a senator after him. We gave the senator a little help. Dexter, the con artist, had conned a guy out of $65,000 and took everything he owned in a phony land deal. He managed to con a congressman's widow out of $100,000, and a college professor out of $75,000. Between the three of them, he got almost a quarter of a million dollars. With Tiffany posing as a senator's aide, Kelly as a shady Mayan sculpture dealer, and me pretending to drive a worthless Rolls Royce, we got their money back. I don't think he will be trying to swindle anyone else anytime soon, especially behind bars.
After a series of near fatal accidents for all of us, Charlie hired body guards for us. (all male). We resented it, because we felt perfectly capable of handling the case on our own. One was an actor, one was an Olympic champion, and one was a cowboy. Tiffany got the actor, Kelly got the cowboy, and I got the Olympian. We ditched the guys, but they found us anyway. We decided to work with them, mainly because Charlie and their boss Toni were very persuasive. A man named Michael Durrano, who we had put behind bars for various crimes, was out of jail and out for revenge. He liked to make his own wine and buy rare ones. He managed to grab Tiffany when she investigated his modeling agency, and Kelly and me at his wine fashion show. The guys rescued us just before Durrano bricked us up in his wine cellar. Ok, so they were useful that time.
Love,
Kris
Dear Kris,
Wow! Even though being a private eye is dangerous, I can't wait to be one! You guys have such interesting adventures, and I have really enjoyed the ones that I have been able to participate in. Well, maybe not almost being raped or kidnapped so much, but you know what I mean. In spite of the dangers, it is an exciting field of work. I just wish the classes to get there weren't so hard. Oh, well. I will buckle down and get some more studying done. I need to do some laundry anyway.
Love,
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
I really should call you. Kelly was found by a lawyer who thought she might be the long lost daughter of a millionaire. Of course, we were happy for her. The lawyer was named Bill Cord. He fell in love with Kelly. Then he fell in love with me. We both loved him very much. Unfortunately, neither one of us knew the other one was seeing him. We found out and had a BIG fight in which we didn't speak for days. Kelly is my best friend, and it really hurt me that this came between us. It hurt her too. Bill ended up getting killed. We solved the case, but both of us decided to resign from the agency, because we felt we could no longer work together. Tiffany and Bosley helped us make up and now we're friends again. That was one of the hardest periods of my life. I never want to have to go through anything like that ever again.
Love,
Kris
Dear Kris and Kelly,
I am so sorry that you guys had a fight, and over a man. I know both of you cared for him deeply, but he was a slimeball! He led both of you on, and there was no reason for that. Even so, I am sorry he got killed. I am glad you managed to patch it up and that you are friends again. Thank goodness you had Tiffany and Bosley to help you. I wish I could've been there for both of you. I love you both.
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
I've really enjoyed getting to know you on your visits home. However, I am going to move back to Boston so that I can be closer to my family. I hope you
will write to me once in awhile, and let me know how you are doing. I want to know when you graduate from the police academy and get your credentials.
Love,
Tiffany
Dear Tiffany,
It's been fun getting to know you too. I'm sorry you'll be going all the way to Boston. It will be nice for you to be close to your family again. Thanks for helping Kris and Kelly make up their feud. They've been best friends for a long time, and I'm sure it hurt them both deeply. My former boyfriend is in Boston pursuing a law career at Harvard. Maybe you'll run into him. His name is Mark Simpson, and he looks like a Greek god. My friends and I will be moving into an apartment next year. Dorm life is too crowded and noisy. I'll send you the address when I get it. Take care.
Love,
Sarah
As the school year drew to a close, Sarah, Lisa, and Kianna made plans for the next year. They all wanted to come back to California State University, but all of them had had enough of dorm living. They sat in Sarah and Lisa's room one night and tried to formulate a plan.
"If I don't live in the dorm, I don't think I can continue going to school here," Lisa said pensively.
"Me either, " said Kianna. "My scholarship only covers books and tuition. My parents are paying for the dorm and I doubt if they would pay for an apartment. If I have to stay in the dorm, I hope I get a different roommate."
"What's wrong with your present one?" Sarah asked. They had only met Kianna's roommate a few times and didn't know her very well.
"She's lazy. She won't pick up after herself and leaves things on my side of the room. She has a tv, which she watches constantly and I have to endure her shows. I bought some groceries to kind of stretch out my meal ticket in the cafeteria. The next day I found them gone!"
"That's rough," said Lisa. "Have you tried talking to her?"
"Every time I try, she's either glued to the tv or the phone. She won't listen to me. That's why I'm hoping to be able to live somewhere else next year. I don't want her or anyone like her."
Sarah thought. "I"m glad I got a good roommate." She smiled at Lisa. "I got a scholarship for books, tuition, and living expenses. I don' t think mine would cover an apartment either. I have a little money saved, but not enough for an apartment for a whole year. I think I will work for the summer and save some money that way. In the meantime, I'm going to talk to my sisters and see if they have any ideas."
"Sounds like a plan," Lisa said.
"I think I will look for a job too," said Kianna. "Couldn't hurt."
"Let's go over to the library and check out the newspapers," Sarah suggested. Her friends agreed, and off they went. They scoured the want ads in the papers for the next hour or so. Each of them had a list of potential employers they were going to check out . With feeling of satisfaction, they headed off to the local Whataburger for a bite to eat.
The next day, Sarah and Lisa approached Kianna after classes. "I've got a plan to keep your roommate out of your food," Sarah said with a gleam in her eye.
"What is it?" asked Kianna with interest. "I had a box of poptarts in my cupboard, and I was going to have one for breakfast this morning. It was gone. I'm getting really tired of this."
Sarah produced a mouse trap and a piece of paper. "What kind of goodies do you have hidden? Something tempting, hopefully."
"I have a box of cookies in my drawer. I don't think she's found them yet."
"Perfect. Let's go." Sarah led the way to Kianna's room. Kianna let them in. Her roommate was out. The room was a mess. Clothes, books and papers were everywhere.
"See what I have to put up with?" Kianna asked with exasperation.
"I don't know what we can do to get her to clean up after herself, but we will deter her from eating your goodies," Sarah said. "Where are the cookies?"
Kianna looked in her drawer. "She hasn't found them yet. They're still here. Want some?" She offered them to Sarah and Lisa.
"Sure," they each took one.
"Ok, how many do you have left?" Sarah asked.
Kianna counted. "10"
Sarah handed her the paper. "Write what I tell you. 'There are ten (10) cookies in this box. If so much as one of them comes up missing, I am going to report you for theft, and your fat behind will be sleeping in the hall for the rest of the school year!' "
Lisa and Kianna laughed. "Do I need to sign it?" Kianna asked.
"Nah. I think she will know who it's from." Sarah took the note from Kianna and folded it so the writing showed. She then carefully set the mousetrap and placed the note on top of it. Kianna closed the box and put it back in her drawer.
"Let's get out of here, " Sarah said, and all three girls disappeared from the room.
Later that night, Kianna pretended to be sleeping. She heard her roommate get out of bed. Kianna opened one eye. She saw her roommate coming toward her dresser. Kianna quickly closed her eye. She heard the drawer open, and the box being steathily removed from the drawer. She heard the snap and the cry of pain. She laughed to herself and got out of bed. "Stay out of my food from now on!" She ordered. She handed her roommate the note, took the box of cookies from her, and went back to bed. It was with great glee that she related the tale to Sarah and Lisa the next day. All of them had a good laugh over it.
Later on that day, Kianna went back to her room. Her roommate Renee was waiting for her. "Kianna....." Renee began.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry I ate your food. I'm here on a scholarship, and I don't always have money to eat in the cafeteria."
"Renee, I'm on a scholarship too. I don't have a lot of money either, which is why I keep some food in here. I can't afford to feed you."
"I don't know what else to do!" Renee wailed.
"Go to the financial aid office. See if they can help you. Ask your parents for money to get groceries. Get a job. But don't eat my stuff!"
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
"OK."
Renee left to go see the financial aid counselors. Kianna flung Renee's things over to her side of the room and sat down on her own bed. She thought for a few moments, then went to the drug store to buy a padlock. When she came back, she put all of her food into a cupboard and locked it. Her food was left alone for the rest of the school year.
Sarah went home that weekend. She checked into her finances. She still had plenty of money left from her anonymous benefactor, and in her trust fund, but it still had to last through three more years of college and the police academy. Sarah checked on some job leads, but nothing really seemed to suit her. On an impulse, she went to the mall where she had worked during her high school years. She went to Miss Cherie's Boutique, which had been the place of her employment. After speaking to Miss Cherie, Sarah came away with a job as soon as her school was done for the summer. When she returned to school, she found that Lisa and Kianna had also scored summer jobs. The girls high fived each other and looked for an apartment. They found one not far from the college. It was a small, two bedroom apartment with a small kitchen and bath, and laundry facilities in the basement. Some of the other tennants were also college students, but more quiet and reserved than the dorm residents had been. The girls put down a deposit and made plans to move in just before school started in the fall.
Soon it was time for school to end. Final exams were taken, and Sarah and her friends passed with high grades. It was bittersweet as they packed up their dorm rooms. They had worked hard in their freshman year, but they had had fun as well. The classes in the police academy were also over. The girls had also passed those. The next year they would be doing community service by mentoring at risk kids. Each of them looked forward to it. Because they had taken the course in the magnet program, they would only need to take refresher courses when the time came for them to actually enroll in the academy.
It was time to go home for the summer. Sarah looked around her dorm room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Kris and Kelly had driven to Long Beach to help her get her stuff home. Both Kris' and Sarah's cars were loaded up. Kelly and Kris were waiting for her downstairs. Sarah picked up the last of her bags and left. She had said goodbye to Lisa and Kianna earlier when their parents came to get them. Sarah turned in her room key, checked out of the dorm, and drove home.
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Don't go away!! There's more! :) **